Oaxaca journalist, known for criticizing governor, shot dead; Feds takes over the case

Journalist Francisco Alejandro Leyva was shot and killed Wednesday in San Pablo Etla, a suburb of Oaxaca city, the second media figure slain in Mexico in less than a week. Leyva, a former executive producer of the Oaxacan Radio and Television Corporation, was attacked while eating breakfast at a street food stand. The gunmen escaped on a motorcycle. The 60-year-old was well-known for his column “El zumbido de moscardón” (“The buzzing of a bumblebee”), in which he critically analyzed political life and corruption in the state of Oaxaca. Hours after his murder, state prosecutors said video intelligence had already been uncovered from local CCTV. On Thursday, the Federal Attorney General’s Office said it would take over the investigation at the request of Oaxaca authorities, assigning it to the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Human Rights. As of noon Thursday, authorities had not cited a motive for the murder nor reported any arrests. Leyva published his final article on Tuesday night, addressing insecurity in the state and the alleged interference of organized crime in local economies and politics. In this text, he discussed the violence in Oaxaca in the context of the Guelaguetza, calling the annual Indigenous cultural festival a failure due to government mismanagement and security issues. Just over a year ago, Leyva filed a formal complaint with the state Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office about receiving death threats. He linked these threats to the public smear campaign he faced from regular criticism lobbed at him by Oaxaca Governor Salomón Jara during the latter’s daily press conferences. For his part, Governor Jara condemned Wednesday’s attack, saying “[Leyva] was a journalist critical of our government (…) but no difference with the practice of journalism can ever justify an act of violence.” International press associations also condemned the murder. Reporters without Borders said “The murder of seven journalists in just over six months is evidence of a serious and sustained failure of the Mexican state,” while calling on the federal government to present “a national emergency plan.” 📣 ARTICLE 19 condena el asesinato del periodista Alejandro Leyva Aguilar, exdirector de la Corporación Oaxaqueña de Radio y Televisión (CORTV), autor de la columna El Zumbido del Moscardón, ocurrido esta mañana, en el municipio de San Pablo Etlan, #OaxacaDeJuárez — ARTICLE 19 México y Centroamérica (@article19mxca) July 22, 2026 More than half a dozen journalists have been killed in Mexico this year, five of them since June 11. Josué Martínez, executive producer of Noticias San Martín Texmelucan, was gunned down in the state of Puebla on July 16. Reuters news agency described Mexico as “one of the most dangerous countries in the world for journalists outside active war zones,” adding that “the vast majority of crimes against journalists go unpunished.” With reports from El País, El Universal, Latinus, Aristegui Noticias and Milenio